We must go back to 1813, the year of the creation of the Imperial Regia Accademia di Ballo [Royal Imperial Ballet Academy], now the La Scala Academy Ballet School, to find the roots of Teatro alla Scala’s enduring vocation for transmitting the inestimable La Scala heritage to the new generations—not only music and dance but also stagecraft and management, not only the high art performed on stage, but also the creativity and manual craft behind it.
Today, guided by President Victor Massiah and General Manager Luisa Vinci, the Academy boasts one thousand seven hundred students in some thirty courses in four departments: Music, Dance, Stagecraft, and Management.
Over three hundred instructors—preeminent Teatro alla Scala artists and artisans and renowned performing arts professionals—guide the development of the young talents.
The teaching method is based on direct, hands-on, real-world experience—learning by doing—complemented by on-the-job training in an intensive internship program. Concerts, performances, exhibitions, and the Academy Project, an annual feature in the La Scala season program, constitute the proving grounds for all Accademia students both in and outside of Italy. Opportunities have increased greatly over the years with events in over twenty countries, among them Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, India, Japan, Norway, Oman, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
In addition to Teatro alla Scala, founding members of the Academy include Regione Lombardia, the Municipality of Milan, the Milan Chamber of Commerce, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Berti Onlus, Fondazione Bracco, Fondazione Milano per la Scala and Techbau. They are joined by a large group of sponsors, including foundations, associations, businesses, and private citizens, who make it possible for the Academy to provide scholarships and other forms of support to facilitate participation in the courses.
